


Bittersweet and Strange

by Jingle



Category: Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Genre: Canonical Character Death, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-22
Updated: 2017-08-22
Packaged: 2018-12-18 19:26:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11881212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jingle/pseuds/Jingle
Summary: After their dance, LeFou and Stanley take the ride back to the village together.





	Bittersweet and Strange

**Author's Note:**

  * For [silveradept](https://archiveofourown.org/users/silveradept/gifts).



To say that recent events had been painful for LeFou didn’t do his feelings justice. It was a whole _mess_ of emotions he’d been dealing with in the past few weeks, most of them negative. Grief, hurt, confusion… But deep down, LeFou felt a certain sense of liberation. Of course he wished Gaston was still alive, but knowing what he’d really meant to the man he’d both idolized and been infatuated with… As harsh as that reality was, it freed him.

LeFou could be more, now, than the man who followed Gaston and did his bidding. For one thing, he could be a man who could dance with another man; a man who was gentle and so very kind… And while dancing with Stanley couldn’t completely mute his mixed feelings, it helped. It _did_ help.

The festivities had ended, and LeFou returned from bidding Mrs. Potts and her family a good night to find Stanley still standing in the ballroom. LeFou paused as a feeling of fondness rose in his chest; paused because it scared him.

When Stanley caught sight of him, he smiled warmly. “I was starting to wonder if you’d already left.”

“You were waiting for me?” LeFou asked, surprised despite already having suspected this to be the case.

“It didn’t seem right for you to take the ride back to the village by yourself,” said Stanley, smile faltering slightly.

“Oh.” He wasn’t used to getting that sort of… Consideration? Attention? Care? Whatever was happening was familiar, yet completely foreign, and it was happening far too… Soon? Yes, too soon, was the term, which could only mean… Ah. Which could only mean LeFou was living up to his name. Still, watching Stanley’s smile continue to fade away was unbearable. “Well… Thank you.”

“Shall we, then?”

LeFou just nodded. He could feel his heart pound in his chest. This fondness he was feeling for Stanley… Was it just something to fill the emptiness Gaston had left behind? It must be. Although, he _had_ been spending more time with Stanley lately, even before that night’s celebration – and he’d already been in the man’s company often, back in the tavern. Lately, though, the tavern felt almost haunted to LeFou, and to others who had once looked up to Gaston – Stanley included. Four of them – LeFou, Stanley, Dick, and Tom – had taken to going riding together instead, as a way to pass time.

It was as fun as it could be, under the circumstances. Dick was quick with a joke, and Tom was an excellent storyteller. Then there was Stanley. Stanley was sweet, and saw beauty all around him. It couldn’t be denied that that was endearing. But was it even possible to be developing feelings for him so soon after losing Gaston? Then again, his feelings for Gaston had been nothing like this warm fondness. It had been a desperate neediness.

All of this was running through LeFou’s mind as he and Stanley mounted their horses, and began to ride into the night. In one hand, Stanley held up a lantern to light the way.

“You brought so much life to that party,” Stanley observed with amusement. “You’ve always been like that, though.”

LeFou shook his head, smiling sheepishly. “Belle and Prince Adam shone the brightest. And many others more brightly than I did, if I did at all.”

“Don’t be a modest fool. You were…” But then Stanley trailed off with a frown. LeFou wondered if he’d seen something worrying on the path ahead, and only then realized he was paying far more attention to Stanley than to where he was going. “LeFou isn’t your given name, is it?” Stanley asked, sounding very much as if this realization had struck him like an epiphany.

LeFou’s lips twisted upwards in a wry smile. “No, although you’re not the first to assume it was. My given name is Mathis.” LeFou had been going by his surname for years now. Everyone felt it fit him so well, after all, and he hadn’t had the spine to stand up for himself. Now it no longer felt like a sting to be called LeFou, though. The name wasn’t the thing that mattered, after all.

“Mathis LeFou.” Stanley nodded. “May I call you Mathis, then? It suits you better than LeFou.”

“Does it?” LeFou laughed awkwardly.

“You’ve never been a fool, LeFou. Just a man in love.”

LeFou pulled on the reins of his horse abruptly, nearly spooking his mount into kicking him off. He hadn’t been so obvious all that time, had he? He hadn’t even fully understood what he’d felt for Gaston, so how could Stanley have known? “I… Pardon me?” he wheezed.

Stanley smiled sadly. “I think no less of you for it. I assumed our dancing together tonight made that much obvious.”

Made _what_ obvious, exactly, LeFou wasn’t sure, and he wanted to scream out about a dozen questions at this point, but what came out of his mouth was, “I didn’t _love_ him. It was… It was different. I wanted to be with him, you’re right. I adored the man, and I think I may still. But the more I’ve thought about it these past days…” LeFou paused and sighed. “I was infatuated, but not in love. Not truly.” It was so hard to explain, but LeFou wasn’t sure how possible it was to _truly_ love a man such as Gaston, who thought so much of himself and so little of others. Then again, what of Belle and her Prince? “Maybe that was the problem,” LeFou found himself saying. “Maybe if I _had_ , he could have-”

“Changed? No, I don’t think so, Mathis,” Stanley said, and upon hearing Stanley call him that, LeFou felt his face heat up. “Gaston was a man of rage. He masked it with charisma, and that fooled us all, but…” He trailed off, shrugging, and LeFou had to admit this was, in all likelihood, the truth. “I do miss him, in a way. Or… I miss having someone to look up to like that. But maybe I don’t need someone like that, anyway. Perhaps it’s better just to be myself.”

“Yes, I’ve been feeling the same way,” LeFou admitted. “You can put it into words far better than I could ever hope to, though.”

Stanley laughed. “I like words. Reading them, writing them… With Gaston around, deciding how the men of the village should be, I felt I had to hide that.”

“I think it’s wonderful,” LeFou blurted out. “I mean… I can’t read. Or write. I wish I could.”

“I could teach you.”

“Really? You don’t need to.”

“I’d get to spend more time with you. Truly, I’d consider myself lucky for that.”

LeFou’s blush deepened. “If you’re sure you wouldn’t mind…” Why did Stanley want to spend time with him? It seemed… Unreal, and honestly, LeFou still wasn’t entirely sure that what seemed like the obvious could be assumed to be the truth. Stanley seemed to be playing around the heart of the matter, but… Maybe that was for the best. Otherwise, it would all be happening too quickly, and perhaps what they both needed was some good company with which to heal.

After that… Well, who could say?


End file.
